Grape Soda
by DancingDragonBlaze
Summary: The aftermath of murder. Despite whatever pain we feel, all wounds will heal in time. That and, well, grape soda just makes everything better. Sequel to Killing the System


**For some reason, I really really like this pairing. **

**Just seems like so much fun. :]  
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**One Shot**

**Sequel to **_**Killing the System**_

**Grape Soda**

"I saw you, you know."

Her blood turned icy. She turned her head to look at him, face carefully blank.

"What? What on earth are you talking about?"

His forever-present scowl deepened.

"Temari. I may be lazy but I'm not dumb. I've seen it, you know. I've seen you. _With him._"

_Oh God fuck no._

But still she feigned ignorance.

"With who-?"

"With that fucking _Hatake_!" He snapped, leaping up. "Temari, don't be dumb. You could've fucking told me Temari. You could've said something. 'Shika, I want more sex.' 'Shika, I don't feel like our relationship is where it should be right now.' 'Shika, maybe you should take a break so we can have a little us time.' 'Shika-' But you didn't! Instead, you went off on your own, thinking I'd be dumb enough not to notice, and you went and fucked some perverted Jounin who's twice your age! What were you thinking?"

Temari was at a loss for words. There she was, in Shikamaru's apartment, and she was caught with her fucking pants down.

So she did what she always did. Acted defensively. She slammed her hands down onto the table and stood up.

"Well maybe if you weren't always fucking not _home-_!"

"I have a job to do Temari! We both know this!"

"And maybe if you _asked _how I was feeling some fucking times throughout the months, I would be more inclined to talk to you!" She snarled at him. "This isn't _entirely _my fault you know!"

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow, and crossed his arms.

"Really now?" He asked, making Temari's hackles raise. "So explain to me why you're cheating and I'm not."

Temari couldn't think of a way to answer that without sounding dumb. When she stayed silent, Shikamaru sighed.

"Temari, go ahead and pack up your things. And leave." Then he turned and went back into their (no, his now) bedroom. Temari stood there, chest heaving, for a moment, before she lowered her head and shrank into herself.

_Fuck what have I done?_

Numbly, she did what she had been told and left.

* * *

><p>A can was held in front of her eyes. She raised her eyes to look at it, blinked.<p>

"Heard it's over between you and the shirker."

She scowled, knocked the can out of the gloved hand. It fell to the ground, busted, and soda bumbled over onto the stones below the fence she sat on.

"Yeah, no thanks to you," she snapped, looking back to her scroll. "How dare you show your face after what you did?"

"You mean what _we _did?" He correctly mildly, lounging on a tree branch that hung a little ways above the bench. "After all, it takes two to tango sweetcheeks."

Temari seethed.

"Do NOT call me sweetcheeks-!"

Another soda can was dangled in front of her.

"Sure you don't want one?"

She scowled at him.

"I hate grape soda."

He raised an eyebrow at her, shrugged, then popped the top off the one she had denied and began to drink. After a moment, he paused and took in a breath of bliss before looking back down at her.

"You should apologize to the soda can you busted open. That was precious soda you just wasted. What will the other carbonated drinks think of you now, you soda-can-killer?"

_Relationship-killer._

Temari glared witheringly at him.

"Are you in second fucking grade?" She snapped at him before snapping the scroll angrily before continuing to read. "I am _not _apologizing to some fucking aluminum can."

He chuckled. "You're such an angry person," he commented in amusement. Temari almost - _almost _- threw her scroll at him, but decided against it and stared in determination at the paper. After all, if she threw it, there would be no excuse handy to tune him out.

There was silence for a moment where she could tell he was staring at her. Right before she was about to snap at him, he spoke.

"I understand you're upset," he stated simply, his voice carrying a sincerity she hadn't really heard before. It made her pause in her vicious response. "I understand that you didn't want to break it with Shikamaru. But think about it." There was a pause. "I know you feel bad about it. But do you regret it?"

Her immediate response was _"Fuck yes, you fucking insane little child-molester!" _but then she thought about it for a second.

When she thought about it, she felt dirty. This was true. But at the same time she could feel her knees quivering in relish just a _little bit_. In a _oh, I can't wait until that happens again _kind of way.

She sighed.

"I was happy with Shikamaru," she stated simply. "You ruined it." Before he could correct her, "_We_ ruined it. I fucking know." She scowled. "So I share the blame. So what? Doesn't make it any fucking better. It's not like I love you. I _love _him. But this... this..." she struggled for the right word. "This... _shit _I have with you..." she sighed in exasperation, running her fingers through her bangs. "Fuck this is pathetic."

One more can was offered to her.

"Feel bad for a little while," he told her. "Nurse the wounds. You'll be a slut for a while, and people will see you like a whore, but..." the can's condensation sparkled in the noon sun. "It will pass. Things always do. Shikamaru will heal, and eventually, you'll find the proper words to describe whatever it is we have. In the meantime, take this."

Temari raised her eyes and looked at him for a moment before looking back at the can of grape soda dangling above her.

Sighing, she raised a hand and took the can in her grasp.

"Okay, Kakashi," she murmured, surrendering. "Okay."

And thus they sat. One in the sun, the other in shade. One in pain, the other in apathy.

The earth kept turning. Clocks kept ticking.

And yet time seemed to still. The can of soda was refreshingly chill against her throat, eased the pain of fighting back tears.

She smiled begrudgingly.

Maybe grape soda wasn't that bad after all.

**End One Shot**

**Grape Soda**

**Short and kinda sweet. I really liked it. :D**

**I hope you did too, heehee!**

**So much love,**

**DDB  
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